THE POTENTIAL OF SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING ON REDUCTION OF TSUNAMI DISASTER

It's used to be said that tsunami is a rare event. The recurrence time of tsunami in Sumatra area is approximately 230 years as CalTech Research Group‘s study from paleocoral. However, the tsunami occurred in Indian Ocean on 26 December 2004, 28 March 2005 and 17 July 2006, because the earthquakes still release the energy. To cope with the tsunami disaster, we have to put the much effort on better disaster preparedness. The Tsunami Reduction Of Impacts through three Key Actions (TROIKA) was suggested by Eddie N. Bernard, the director of NOAA/PMEL (Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory). They are Hazard Assessment, Mitigation and Warning Guidance. The satellite remote sensing has potential on these actions. The medium and high resolution satellite data were used to assess the degree of damage at the six-damaged provinces on the Andaman seacoast of Thailand. Fast and reliable interpretation of the damage by remote sensing method can be used for inundation mapping, rehabilitation and housing plans for the victims. For tsunami mitigation, the satellite data can be used with GIS to construct the evacuation map (evacuation route and refuge site) and coastal zone management. It is also helpful for educational program for local residents and school systems. Tsunami is a kind of ocean wave, therefore any satellite sensors such as SAR, Altimeter, MODIS, Landsat, SPOT, IKONOS can detect the tsunami wave in 2004. The satellite images have shown the characteristics of tsunami wave approaching the coast. For warning, satellite data has potential for early warning to detect the tsunami wave in deep ocean, if there are enough satellite constellation to monitor and detect the first tsunami wave like the pressure gauge, seismograph and tide gauge with the DART buoy can do. Moreover, the new methods should be developed to analyse the satellite data more faster for early warning procedure.